Dispatcher Put On Leave May Have Used Racist Epithet On Radio

HARTFORD — A city dispatcher was placed on administrative leave Wednesday after Mayor Pedro Segarra was made aware of a radio transmission in which the dispatcher may have used a racist epithet, a city spokeswoman said.

The dispatcher, whose name was not released, will remain on leave from the city's Emergency Services and Telecommunications Department pending further investigation, said the spokeswoman, Maribel La Luz.

Andrew Jaffee, director of the telecommunications department, said Wednesday night he discussed the issue with the mayor Wednesday afternoon and declined to elaborate further.

An internal review by a public safety communications supervisor concluded that the comment was inadvertent and did not rise to the level of unprofessional conduct, according to copies of emailsprovided by La Luz. Other dispatchers who were nearby at the time said they felt the transmission was a mispronunciation of the word "neighbor," according to the emails.

The dispatcher has worked for the city for more than three years, is well-liked by his peers and has never been accused of using racist or derogatory words, according to the emails.

The radio transmission was made Monday night. The transmission was brought to the attention of city officials by city resident Kevin Brookman, who wrote about it on his We The People blog. Segarra listened to an audio recording of the transmission Wednesday.

"Mayor Segarra has no tolerance for usage of the "N" word or any other words that can be associated with hate speech," La Luz said.